UK-based Rolls-Royce SMR has placed a contract with Westinghouse Electric Company UK Ltd to develop a fuel design for its small modular reactor – a vital part of the generic design assessment (GDA) by regulators and a move welcomed by the nuclear industry as the West looks to break free from reliance on Russian fuel.

The design work, undertaken jointly in the UK and US, includes associated core components and will be based on an existing Westinghouse pressurised water reactor fuel assembly design.

Westinghouse said the contract presents an exciting opportunity for its Springfields nuclear fuel site in Lancashire, northern England.

Helena Perry, Rolls-Royce SMR’s regulatory affairs and safety director, said: “Placing the contract to design the fuel for the Rolls-Royce SMR is an important step in our programme of work as we progress through the GDA process with the UK’s nuclear regulators.